Naoki Sanjugo Award
1 appearances
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Edition 83 (1980) award
Kuniko Mukoda
むこうだ くにこ
Mukoda Kuniko
Aliases:
幸田 邦子
Pen Names:
Kōda / Koda Kuniko（Used during her time writing for weekly magazines ('Top-ya' period)）,
Hamura Akiko（Used as part of a collective pen name (group pseudonym)）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1929-11-28 （Wakabayashi, Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan）
- Died
- 1981-08-22 （Sanyi Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan） age 51
- Nationality
- Japan
- Languages
- Japanese
- Religion
- Jodo Shinshu
- Residence History
- Wakabayashi, Setagaya, Tokyo (birthplace) → Kagoshima City (childhood) → Sendai (postwar residence) → Kugayama, Suginami, Tokyo (family residence during father's transfer) → Minami-Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo (final residence)
Career
- Occupations
- Screenwriter, Essayist, Novelist, Magazine editor
- Active Years
- 1950-1981
- Affiliations
- Zaisei Bunka-sha (secretary to the company president), Otorisha / 'Eiga Story' editorial department, Galina Club (women's freelance writers office), SHP / 'Hamura Akiko' (writers' collective)
- Memberships
- SHP (scriptwriters' collective)
- Influenced By
- Saburo Ichikawa (mentor in screenwriting)
- Influenced
- Sō Kuramoto (contemporary screenwriter), Taichi Yamada (contemporary screenwriter), Later generations of television screenwriters
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jissen Women's College (now Jissen Women's University) | Japanese literature | Department of Japanese | 卒業 | 1947–1950 | Japan |
Jissen Women's College (now Jissen Women's University)
Japanese literature
/ Department of Japanese
Degree:
卒業
Period:
1947–1950
Year of Graduation:
1950
Country:
Japan
Attended night classes in English while enrolled. After graduation she worked as a magazine editor and later wrote radio/TV scripts, essays and fiction.
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Naoki Prize (83rd) | 'Hana no Namae', 'Kawauso', 'Inugoya' (from the short-story collection 'Omoide Trump') | — | Naoki Prize selection committee | 受賞 |
| 1980 | Galaxy Award (Recommendation) | Scripts for 'Genji Monogatari' (TBS), 'Ashura no gotoku I & II' (Saturday drama), 'A・Un' (NHK) and others | — | Japan Council for Better Radio and Television (Galaxy Awards) | 選奨 |
| 1982 | NHK Broadcasting Culture Award | Contributions to radio and television scriptwriting | — | NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) | 受賞 |
Naoki Prize (83rd)
1980
Work:
'Hana no Namae', 'Kawauso', 'Inugoya' (from the short-story collection 'Omoide Trump')
Organization:
Naoki Prize selection committee
Result:
受賞
Galaxy Award (Recommendation)
1980
Work:
Scripts for 'Genji Monogatari' (TBS), 'Ashura no gotoku I & II' (Saturday drama), 'A・Un' (NHK) and others
Organization:
Japan Council for Better Radio and Television (Galaxy Awards)
Result:
選奨
NHK Broadcasting Culture Award
1982
Work:
Contributions to radio and television scriptwriting
Organization:
NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
Terauchi Kantaro Family
1975 Screenplay/Novel (home drama)A representative home drama warmly depicting an everyday family. Widely popular as a television series and counted among Mukoda's signature works.
familyeveryday lifeintergenerational relationshipsblend of humor and poignancy
Adaptations
- [TV drama] Terauchi Kantaro Family (1974)
A Father's Letter of Apology
1978 EssayAn essay collection recounting memories from her time in Kagoshima and family life; demonstrates Mukoda's intimate, autobiographical essay style.
familynostalgiachildhood memories
Omoide Trump (Memories Trump)
1980 Short story cycle / collectionA linked short-story collection including 'Hana no Namae', 'Kawauso', and 'Inugoya'; these stories earned Mukoda the 83rd Naoki Prize.
memoryfamilydetailed everyday life
Nemuru Sakazuki (Sleeping Cup)
1979 Essays / Short piecesAn essay collection including pieces such as 'The Postcard Without Words', which has been adopted for middle-school textbooks.
communicationlossfamily
Bibliography
- Terauchi Kantaro Family
- A Father's Letter of Apology
- Nemuru Sakazuki (Sleeping Cup)
- Anonymous Kana Name Register
- Omoide Trump (Memories Trump)
- A・Un
- Primate (Humankind) Field Guide
- The Woman Next Door
- Midnight Rose
- Collected Works of Kuniko Mukoda
- Kuniko Mukoda Scenario Collection
- Daikon no Hana (scripts)
Adaptations
- Shichinin no Mago (TV drama)
- Jikan Desu yo (TV drama)
- Terauchi Kantaro Family (TV drama)
- Ashura no Gotoku (TV drama)
- A・Un (drama)
- Genji Monogatari (TV script, TBS)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Dialogue-driven, brisk proseWarm humor intermingled with poignant sorrowDetailed depictions of everyday, working-class life
- Recurring Motifs
- family and domestic gatheringsfood and home cookingcats and petsnostalgia and hometown memoriesdepictions of life from a woman's perspective
Health
-
Breast cancer1975（手術および術後）Underwent surgery in 1975; postoperative transfusion led to hepatitis. Suffered aftereffects including impaired movement of the right arm, which affected her writing.
-
Fear of flying (aviophobia)生涯／海外旅行時に顕著Although she traveled abroad frequently for work, she often described intense anxiety during takeoff and landing.
Legacy
Kuniko Mukoda, as a television scriptwriter, essayist and novelist, warmly and at times sharply depicted family and everyday life. Her works continue to be taught, adapted and celebrated posthumously; the Mukoda Kuniko Award was established in 1983 to honor excellence in scriptwriting, reflecting her lasting influence on the field.
Museums
- Kagoshima Museum of Modern Literature Kagoshima City, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan
- Kuniko Mukoda Library Collection Exhibition Room (Jissen Women's University Library) Jissen Women's University, Shibuya Campus (Tokyo, Japan) Opened in 2014
Academic Societies
- Mukoda Kuniko Research Group
Archives
- Kuniko Mukoda Collection (Jissen Women's University Library)
- Collections at Kagoshima Museum of Modern Literature
In Popular Culture
- Numerous television dramas and stage productions have portrayed Mukoda or adapted her works (e.g. 'Mukoda Kuniko Futatabi').
- Her works have been included in middle-school Japanese language textbooks and continue to be used educationally.
Quotes
-
Even now I cannot remain calm during takeoff and landing.
Source: Essay 'Hikōki' (from 'Primate Field Guide' / 'Reichōrui Hitoka Dōbutsu Zukan') (1981) -
Flowers bloom, flowers scent, flowers scatter, yet still they perfume — Hisaya
Source: Gravestone inscription at Tama Reien (by Hisaya Morishige) (1981)
Trivia
- She wrote under the name Kōda / Koda Kuniko during part of her magazine career.
- A devoted cat lover who kept multiple cats throughout her life.
- She and her sister Kazuko opened a small restaurant 'Mamaya' in Akasaka; it continued under her sister after Mukoda's death.
- Known for slow and messy handwriting; anecdotes describe distinctive habits when pressed for deadlines.
- Her essays and short pieces have been included in school textbooks.